China and climate change
Why is China important for climate change?
China is one of the most important countries in the world with regard to climate
change, for three main reasons.
First, in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that it emits, China is
now the largest global emitter. (However, in terms of emissions per capita (that
is, per head of population), China still emits considerably less than the EU or
the US.)
Second, the position it takes in international negotiations led by the United
Nations (UN) is crucial - especially in the process, culminating in the
Copenhagen conference in December 2009, to agree a new global deal to tackle the
ways that countries are affecting the climate.
Third, a changing climate will directly impact upon China and we need to
understand the implications of this impact on issues like food production, flood
management and health. These impacts won’t just reverberate in China, but around
the rest of the world too.
What is China already doing?
China is doing more than countries in Europe or North America did at the same
stage of industrial development and economic growth per head of population. It
has stringent targets to improve energy efficiency by 20% over the five years
between 2006 and 2010, and to increase the proportion of renewable energies (for
example, solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geo-thermal) from 5% in 2006 to 15% of
total production energy production by 2020.
In addition, the Chinese President
and Premier have both publicly said that China needs to strengthen its capacity
to deal with climate change. This involves actively developing a "low carbon
economy", in which economic growth continues but without the associated
emissions of greenhouse gases.
How is the UK collaborating with China?
The UK has a comprehensive partnership with China, with the
overall aim of:
- promoting a visible and accelerated shift to a
low-carbon economy
- creating the conditions necessary for an ambitious
post-2012 agreement
- promoting better understanding of the potential impacts
of climate change and the best way to adapt in future.
DFID is already carrying out many activities to promote
understanding of impacts and adaptation. These include:
- supporting a "Low Carbon Task Force" within the China
Council for International Cooperation for Environment and
Development (CCICED) (an advisory body to the Chinese
leadership)
- working closely with the World Bank to help China
maximise the benefits it can get from new funds such as the
Clean Technology Fund – a new, multilateral source of very
low-interest loans for energy efficiency and low carbon
development
- undertaking comprehensive work on adaptation, nationally
and in specific provinces. Over the last seven years we have
been exploring the likely impacts of climate change on
Chinese agriculture, and how farmers might need to adapt. In
future, we will be further developing this work, but also
looking at climate change and its impacts on health, water
resources and disaster management.
In addition, the UK-China Sustainable Development
Dialogue has several overlaps with the climate agenda, for example in
promoting more sustainable cities, waste minimisation and better agricultural
and forest management.
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Find out more
General information on the UK’s engagement with China on climate
change is available in the leaflet,
Tackling climate change in China
 (2mb).
More information on our specific projects in adaptation is available
in
Impacts of Climate Change on Chinese Agriculture (ICCCA) - Overall
summary of results
(608kb).
Recent update from CCICED’s Low Carbon Task Force:
China's pathway to a low carbon economy
(199kb).
General items of interest on China and climate change:
Back to China page
Last
updated: 11 March 2009
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